Mail-bag receiving and delivering apparatus.



PATENTED MAY19, 1908.

H. J. HEDRIGK. MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATIONTILED MAR.3, 1908.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

iii/(M015? fiwrriw A Y I ma Jfladrc/ A7 MW No. 887,799. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

H. J. HEDRIOK. MAIL BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3,1908- '2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Ill/7100mm" Zia/0771 01 HENRY .T. HEDRIOK, OF INDEPENDENCE, MISSOURI.

MAIL-BAG RECEIVING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY J. HEDRIoK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Independence, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MaileBag Delivering and Receiving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mail delivering and catching apparatus and my object is to produce apparatus of this character which will efficiently and reliably efiect the transfer of one or more mail bags from a moving train to a station.

A further object is to produce apparatus of this character of simple, strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction.

To these ends the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1, is a view disclosing the apparatus in plan view, the car which carries the delivering apparatus being in horizontal section. Fig. 2, is a plan view of a part of the receiving apparatus, after it has received the mail bag. Fig. 3, is a detail perspective view of a part of the delivery apparatus. Fig. 4, is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5, is an enlarged end view of a part of the receiving apparatus in its normal position. Fig. 6, is a detail of a part of the receiving apparatus to illustrate the adjustable collar for supporting the swing arm at the desired height. Fig. 7, is a detail end view of a part of the delivery apparatus, and Fig. 8, is a perspective view illustrating a stop pin form ing part of the apparatus.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts, 1 indicates an ordinary mail car, 2 a bearing bracket secured to one edge of the doorway at a suitable height and 3 a vertical hinge rod secured to said bracket and to the bottom of the car.

4 is a substantially U-shaped frame arranged horizontally and pivotally mounted on rod 3 and provided with a handle 5 by which it may be swung into or out of the doorway, a stop 6 being arranged in the car to limit the inward swinging movement of the frame. Secured to the free end of the lower arm of frame 4 is an arm 7 projecting rearward with respect to the direction of Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 3, 1908.

Patented Ma 19, 1908.

Serial No. 419,050.

travel of the car, said arm being preferably of sheet metal and equipped at its side margins with upwardly projecting strengthening ribs 8. Secured by bolt 9 or in any other suitable manner to the lower arm of the frame just above arm 7 is a substantially V-shaped spring holder 10 having its free ends bent inward and outward as at 11 to provide a contracted neck and a flaring mouth for the holder. Vertically above the holder described and secured by bolt 12 or otherwise to the upper arm of frame 4 is an upper V-shaped holder 13, and above the same is a spring clasp consisting of the lower arm 14 and the curved spring arm 15, the free end of arm 15 being bent divergently from arm 14 to form a flaring mouth for the spring clasp.

The mail bag 16 is adapted to stand upon arm 7 and is held in such position against accidental dislocation by being forced into the spring holders as indicated by dotted lines Figs. 1 and 4, the loop 17 commonly found upon mail bags being equipped with a suitable link 18 which is forced into the spring clasp, the" arrangement .being such that said ring will pull out of said clasp under conditions hereinafter named.

At each station along the line of travel of the car a receiving apparatus is provided,

the same being constructed as follows :19

indicates a pair of longitudinally extending sills anchored to the ground in any suitable manner, and 20, is a similar sill disposed at the outer side of the pair 19.

21 is a pair of transverse bars connecting the ends of sills 19 and 20, and 22 is a longi tudinal bar secured upon sills 19.

23 is a pair of uprights erected at each end of bar 22 and connected at their upper ends by a bar 24, braces 25 being secured at their upper ends to bar 24 and at their lower ends to bars 21. This structure provides a strong and rigid framework which in practice will preferably be further braced by suitable guys or braces not shown.

26 indicates a vertical shaft secured at its ends in casings 27 secured to bars 22 and 24 and concentrically surrounding said shaft in a plane just above that of the floor of the mail car, by preference is a band 28 provided with a plurality of gravity catches or dogs 29 disposed in such position as to yield to the swinging movement of the radial arm 30 pivoted on shaft 26 which arm is adapted to swing in the same direction in which the mounted on the shaft and adapted to be' secured thereto at the desired height by a set screw 33. To secure the swing arm 30 at the desired height so that it shall not bear any material weight on the dog carrying band, I provide the shaft with an adjustable collar 34 to underlie the lower hinge or pivot arm of said frame.

Secured to the free end of arm 30 is a pair of laterally projectin skeleton aws and pivoted at 36 to eac h side of arm 30 is a trigger 37, one of said triggers normally hanging pendent and inoperative against the side of the arm and the other extending downwardly and outwardly from said arm at a suitable angle, the last-named trigger being adapted to be struck by a mail bag carried by a car at the proper time, each of said triggers being provided at its lower end with a lug 38 against which it yieldingly presses a rock bar 39 pivoted on a vertical pin 40 carried by arm 30. The opposite end of the rock bar 39 is connected to a cable 41 extending through an opening or slot 42 in arm 30 and adapted to engage a guide sheave or pulley 43, in said opening, when the arm has been forced around by the impact of a mail bag received from a moving train. The opposite end of the cable extends through the space between uprights 23 at the end of said station frame nearest an approaching car and over the sheave 44 mounted in a bracket 45 secured to said uprights, the lower end of said cable being equipped with a weight 46 whereby the yielding pressure of the rock bar hereinbefore referred to on'lug 38 is produced.

Assuming that the car is approaching the station receiving apparatus in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 1, with abag supported as explained, it will be apparent by reference to Figs. 1 and 4 that such bag will strike the downwardly inclined trigger 37 and force the same to a vertically pendent position. As the rock bar is thus freed by such operation of the trigger it will under the instant downward movement of the weight 46 swing from the position shown in Fig. 1, to substantially the position shown in Fig. 2 and thus force the bag against the opposing stationary jaw 35, the bag of course moving onward in the direction of the train until it strikes squarely against arm 30, which latter offers suflicient resistance to permit the spring holders to be withdrawn from engagement with the bag and the link 18 to pull out of the spring clasp 1415, it being noticed by reference to Fig. 4, particularly, that the upper and lower arms of the swing frame of the car pass respectively above and below arm 30 and that under said impact the frame 4 is incapable of swinging backward but a slight distance because it comes into engagement with the continuous edge of the doorway. To avoid injury to the bag as the latter is thus clasped and held between the stationary jaw 35 and the movable jaw constituted by the rock bar, the arm 30 is adapted under the impact of the bag to swing in the direction indicated by the curved arrow Fig. 1, it being obvious that it will swing a greater or less distance in such direction according as it is of more or less weight, it being further understood that the speed at which the train is moving will also determine to some extent the distance which the arm 30 swings. As it swings as explained, it successively depresses certain of the dogs in its path which dogs immediately swing back to their original position to prevent any rebound or return movement of the arm after the train has passed. After the mail clerk or other person in charge removes the bag, he depresses said dogs and returns the arm to its original position. For convenience each set of do s is connected by a cable 47 provided with Trandles 48 which when grasped and pulled effect the simultaneous depression of the entire set of dogs to permit the swing arm to be returned to its original position. He also returns the rock bar 39 to its original position, reelevates the trigger 37 and resecures the latter in position by permitting the rock bar to press outwardly against lug 38.

If the car is traveling in the opposite direction the pin 40 is withdrawn to permit the rock bar to be reversed, the cable will be reversed and the weight will be arranged at the opposite end of the stationary framework, it being obvious that the originally inoperative trigger will be employed and the originally operative one will hang vertically pendent and inoperative, it being also noticed that the arm 7 and the holding frames and clasp must also be reversed. to accommodate the change in the direction of travel of the car.

The pull of the weight is sufficient to counterbalance or resist wind pressure on the arm 31 and hold said arm against a stop pin 45 detachably engaging an opening 45 in band 28, the stop pin being preferably attached to said band by a chain 45 to guard against loss. It will also be noticed in this connection that the weight acts as a brake against swinging movement of the arm and also effects the return of the arm at the proper time.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a mail bag delivering and receiving apparatus embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable and I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be restricted to the exact details of construction shown and described as obvious modifications will suggest themselves to one skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In an apparatus of the character described, a swing frame of substantially U- shape, an arm secured to the lower arm of the U-shaped frame, a spring holder rigid with and above said arm and open at its rear end,

' and a spring holder secured to the upper arm of the frame above the first-named holder.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a swing frame of substantially U- shape, an arm secured to the lower arm of the U-shaped frame, a spring holder rigid with and above said arm and open at its rear end, a spring holder secured to the upper arm of the frame above the first-named holder, and a spring clasp secured to the upper arm of the swing frame above the upper spring holder;

3. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm adapted to swing horizontally and provided with a jaw at its free end, a rock bar mounted on said arm and held pressed yieldingly toward said jaw, and a trigger pivoted to said arm and provided with a lug engaged by said rock bar and limiting the movement of the latter toward said aw.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm adapted to swing horizontally and provided with a jaw at its free end, a rock bar mounted on said arm and held pressed yieldingly toward said jaw, a trigger pivoted to said arm and provided with a lug engaged by said rock bar and limiting the movement of the latter toward said jaw, and a series of dogs in the path of movement of said arm and adapted to yield to the arm when moving in one direction and prevent it from moving in the opposite direction.

5. In an apparatus of the character described, an arm adapted to swing horizontally and provided with a jaw at its free end, a rock bar pivotally carried by said arm, a cable suitably guided and attached to said rock bar, a weight attached to the opposite end of the cable and tending to move the rock bar toward said jaw, and a trigger pivoted to said arm and provided with a lug engaged by said rock bar and limiting the movement of the latter toward said jaw.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, a suitable framework, a vertical shaft secured therein, a band surrounding the shaft and provided with gravity dogs and vertically adjustable on the shaft, an arm hinged to said shaft and adapted to swing horizontally with its lower edge just above the band in the plane of the upper ends of the dogs, an adjustable collar on the shaft to support the swing arm at the desired height, a rock bar pivoted to said arm to operate horizontally and projecting beyond the opposite sides of the same, a stationary jaw at the free end of said arm, a trigger pivoted at one end to said arm to operate in a vertical plane and provided with a lug to engage and restrain the adjacent arm of the rock bar from swinging toward the stationary jaw, a cable extending through said arm and suitably guided and attached to the opposite end of the rock bar at one end, a sheave carried by the frame as a guide for the cable, and a weight attached to said cable below said sheave. I

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with an arm adapted to swing horizontally and provided with a jaw at its free end, a rock bar mounted on said arm and held pressed yieldingly toward said jaw, and a trigger pivoted to said arm and provided with a lug engaged by said rock bar and limiting the movement of the latter toward said jaw, of a U-shaped swing frame carried by the car and projecting outward throughthe door opening thereof and embodying an arm below and an arm above the plane of the trigger-equipped swing arm, and means carried by said swing frame for detachably supporting a mail bag in such position that it shall strike said trigger between the stationary jaw and rock bar of said swing arm and force the trigger from engagement with said rock bar.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with an arm adapted to swing horizontally and provided with a jaw at its free end, a rock bar mounted on said arm and held pressed yieldingly toward said jaw, and a trigger pivoted to said arm and provided with a lug engaged by said rock bar and limiting the movement of the latter toward said jaw, of a U-shaped swing frame carried by the car and projecting outward through the door opening thereof and em bodying an arm below and an arm above the plane of the trigger-equipped swing arm, means carried by said swing frame for detachably supporting a mail bag in such position that it shall strike said trigger between the stationary jaw and rock bar of said swing arm and force the trigger from engagement with said rock bar, and a series of dogs yieldingly opposing swinging movement of said arm induced by the impact thereon of a mail bag caught thereby and withdrawn from the swing frame as the latter passes.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY J. HEDRICK. Witnesses:

H. O. RODGERS, G. Y. THORPE. 

